Biomaterial Database

Dietary fibre, bacterial metabolism and toxicity of nitrate in the rat. 1982

A Wise, and A K Mallett, and I R Rowland

1. A semi-synthetic diet, the semi-synthetic diet plus pectin, and a stock diet were fed to rats, and three metabolic functions of the caecal bacteria (reduction of amaranth, p-nitrobenzoic acid and nitrate) were measured in vitro. 2. No consistent differences were noted between diets for the reduction of amaranth and p-nitrobenzoic acid. 3. No consistent differences in nitrate reductase activity were noted for rats maintained on a stock diet or a fibre-free diet. However, the addition of 5% pectin to the latter diet resulted in a several-fold increase in nitrite production. 4. This increased nitrite production in vitro was associated with methaemoglobinaemia following the oral administration of nitrate to rats fed the diet containing pectin. Animals receiving the basal fibre-free diet were unaffected by nitrate.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007700	Kinetics	The rate dynamics in chemical or physical systems.
D007779	Lactobacillus acidophilus	A species of gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria isolated from the intestinal tract of humans and animals, the human mouth, and vagina. This organism produces the fermented product, acidophilus milk.	Lactobacillus amylovorus
D008297	Male		Males
D008708	Methemoglobinemia	The presence of methemoglobin in the blood, resulting in cyanosis. A small amount of methemoglobin is present in the blood normally, but injury or toxic agents convert a larger proportion of hemoglobin into methemoglobin, which does not function reversibly as an oxygen carrier. Methemoglobinemia may be due to a defect in the enzyme NADH methemoglobin reductase (an autosomal recessive trait) or to an abnormality in hemoglobin M (an autosomal dominant trait). (Dorland, 27th ed)	Methemoglobinemias
D009566	Nitrates	Inorganic or organic salts and esters of nitric acid. These compounds contain the NO3- radical.	Nitrate
D002432	Cecum	The blind sac or outpouching area of the LARGE INTESTINE that is below the entrance of the SMALL INTESTINE. It has a worm-like extension, the vermiform APPENDIX.	Cecums
D004043	Dietary Fiber	The remnants of plant cell walls that are resistant to digestion by the alimentary enzymes of man. It comprises various polysaccharides and lignins.	Fiber, Dietary,Roughage,Wheat Bran,Bran, Wheat,Brans, Wheat,Dietary Fibers,Fibers, Dietary,Roughages,Wheat Brans
D004926	Escherichia coli	A species of gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacteria (GRAM-NEGATIVE FACULTATIVELY ANAEROBIC RODS) commonly found in the lower part of the intestine of warm-blooded animals. It is usually nonpathogenic, but some strains are known to produce DIARRHEA and pyogenic infections. Pathogenic strains (virotypes) are classified by their specific pathogenic mechanisms such as toxins (ENTEROTOXIGENIC ESCHERICHIA COLI), etc.	Alkalescens-Dispar Group,Bacillus coli,Bacterium coli,Bacterium coli commune,Diffusely Adherent Escherichia coli,E coli,EAggEC,Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli,Enterococcus coli,Diffusely Adherent E. coli,Enteroaggregative E. coli,Enteroinvasive E. coli,Enteroinvasive Escherichia coli
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria